Michigan

Willie Snead celebrates after scoring a touchdown for Ball State in Sunday's GoDaddy Bowl loss to Arkansas State. Snead, who played two seasons in high school at Muskegon Heights, has declared for the NFL draft.
(The Associated Press)

But he simply couldn’t pass up the chance to fulfill a dream of playing in the NFL.

The former Muskegon Heights standout said Tuesday his stock is high and the timing is right to forgo his senior season as a wide receiver at Ball State University and declare for the 2014 NFL draft.

“It was a tough decision. I took a lot of time thinking about it. I just didn’t get up one morning and say 'I’m going to enter the NFL draft,'” he said. “I definitely would have come back for my senior year if I didn’t feel comfortable. I did enough in my time at Ball State.

“I could have gone out breaking all the records, so it wasn’t easy. But at the end of the day, I want to go to the next level and didn’t want to pass it up.”

Snead finished with Ball State single-season records in receptions (106), receiving yards (1,516) and touchdown catches (15). His 1,516 receiving yards ranked third in the nation this season. Snead had a TD catch as Ball State finished with a 23-20 loss to Arkansas State in the GoDaddy Bowl on Sunday.

Snead, who played quarterback in his two seasons at Muskegon Heights, made a smooth transition back to receiver at Ball State. As a high school sophomore, Snead was a top receiver for Holland Christian’s run to the Division 4 state title in 2008.

At Ball State, he became only the second player to record back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons and was a semifinalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award that goes to the nation’s top receiver.

After the Cardinals’ final game of the regular season in 2013, Snead said he sent in an evaluation form to the NFL and got a good report back about his draft chances. Ball State also will lose senior quarterback Keith Wenning, who passed for 4,148 yards, and Snead said that played a factor in his decision.

“It’s every kid’s dream to play in the NFL. After my sophomore year, I knew it was a possibility, if I trained and worked hard. The numbers don’t lie,” he said. “I put a lot of work in and a lot of people helped me get there.”

One of the biggest is his dad, Willie Snead III, who coached his son at Muskegon Heights. He is currently coaching at Palm Beach Lakes High School in Florida.

Snead was he had fond memories of his two years with his dad at Heights. In his senior year at quarterback, he was selected Michigan’s Division 5-6 Player of the Year by The Associated Press.

“What I remember about Muskegon Heights was the good football we played. I think they were 2-7 the year before and we were able to turn the program around,” he said. “I got a bunch of emails and texts to congratulate me from people there. I’m always going to represent 231 (Muskegon’s area code). I graduated from Heights and it’s always going to be in my heart.”

Moving forward, Snead said he is going to remain in Florida and train for the draft. The biggest thing he is going to concentrate on his speed. Listed at 5-foot-11, 193 pounds, Snead hopes to improve on his 4.5 40-yard dash time.

“I’ve trained to get bigger, faster and stronger and build up for the season,” he said. “Getting faster in the 40 is a whole different type of training. I’ve always trained for football.”

Snead said he has not heard yet if he will be invited to the NFL combine. He does plan to participate in the pro day at Ball State this spring. He also will work to finish his degree in sports management, but that will be on the back burner for a time.

For now, his focus will be on football and the draft scheduled for May 8-10.

“I really just want to be able to make a team. It’s always been a dream to get drafted,” he said. “If I’m blessed enough to start or get playing time, then I’ll be able to make goals. I’m going to take it step by step and piece by piece.”

Mark Opfermann covers sports for MLive/Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at mopferma@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter and Facebook.